Is there a conflict of interest in DCC with the same person overseeing the environmental auditing and preparation of the new Minerals Plan? Why were Preferred Sites selected before the recommendations of the Sustainability Appraisal were known - a process which incorporates the legal requirements of the EU's Strategic Environmental Assessment?
In 1965, Straitgate Farm near Ottery St Mary in Devon was bought by ECC Quarries in the hope it would yield 20 million tonnes of sand & gravel. In 2001, Straitgate Action Group was formed to oppose the development and its potential harm to water supplies, ancient wetland habitats, protected species and much more. In 2023, Aggregate Industries – owned by Swiss giant Holcim – was finally granted permission to quarry just 1 million tonnes following a public inquiry. This blog records the story.